How often do I need to buy specific filter media supplies like filter pads and such?

I'm really NOT a big fan of using stuff like ammonia removing chips, carbon, etc.

Can I successfully run one of these with mechanical and biological filtration media and forget about the chemical filtration stuff?

What other supplies might I want to buy?

How often do you clean one of these?

right now I use exclusively Emperor and Penguin HOB filters and have been very please with them. I cut out the backs of the filters and remove the carbon when they begin to clog up and rince the filters many times before throwing them out. I want to have the same or better economy with a canister filter if possible.

If you buy a properly sized cannister, you can go six MONTHS between servicing. As far as replacing media, The biological media is more-or-less permanent (mine is ten years old and looks brand new.) and the ceramic mechanical medias are also permanent. Sponges last a long, long time. I just replaced the sponges on my Fuval 304 after about 5 years and then only because I felt the need. They still worked fine. It takes me about half an hour to tear down, COMPLETELY clean, and re-install one of my cannisters. If all I need is a partial tear-down (adding or removing carbon, nitra-zorb, phos-zorb, whatever), it takes maybe ten minutes. I spend MUCH more time every month doing water quality tests than I do working on the filter.

As far as the comment about "plugged tubes"...I have no idea what that means. I've NEVER had a plugged inlet or outlet tube, and I've also never cleaned one. Yes, they develop an algae and slime coat, but that just adds to the biological filter. The inlet screen inside the tank clogs up with large plant matter from time to time, but that part is common to all power filters.

I started the hobby with HOB filters and quickly became frustrated with the lack of placement flexibility, lack of circulation , lack of media choices, and cost of cartridges. IMO, the cannister is the most economical and easiest to maintain of all the power filters.

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Just tipping into planted aquaria after twenty years of fish-keeping.

I would disagree with part of the above statement. Both types of filters have their disadvantages. However, the Aquaclear filters are cheaper to buy and as cheap to maintain, as well as easier to clean. How much choice of media do you need? If the filter works, why do you need to choose media. Cleaning the hoses is a pain, and rather than adding to bio filtration, hoses with a buildup reduce flow and, therefore, the inherent efficiency of the filter. When an AC gets clogged you know, as the water comes out the overflow.

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Join a fish club. Don't have one in your area? Start one.

Tony says $30.00 for shipping and no warranty. Try again Tony. $22.00 for ground shipping to the Northeast. At $62.00 the Jebo is still a great price. One year warranty. This is one knock-off that knocks the Pro 2 off the table. You can spend $67.00 at superfishstore.com for the same with good customer service. When you have to clean them once every 3 to 6 months who cares if you have to clean hoses. With the proper hose cleaning brush( has a nylon cord attached) it's a piece of cake! As far as media goes; sponges, ceramic and biological media is all you need. Hobs' don't have the ability to polish water like a no-bypass cannister.

Tony says $30.00 for shipping and no warranty. Try again Tony. $22.00 for ground shipping to the Northeast. At $62.00 the Jebo is still a great price. One year warranty. This is one knock-off that knocks the Pro 2 off the table. You can spend $67.00 at superfishstore.com for the same with good customer service. When you have to clean them once every 3 to 6 months who cares if you have to clean hoses. With the proper hose cleaning brush( has a nylon cord attached) it's a piece of cake! As far as media goes; sponges, ceramic and biological media is all you need. Hobs' don't have the ability to polish water like a no-bypass cannister.

I'm not trying to knock your website piranha, I know you like to plug that site. However, I've heard bad things about that site scamming in the past, half their products are out of stock, and I couldn't even reach them by phone or Email one time when I wanted to place and order - good luck getting replavement stuff from them. Any I live in CA and their price for shipping just a filter to me was actually over $30. Real price to send something that weight is about $8-9.

If you shop online, you can find filters way cheaper than store prices. I got Aquaclear500 (now 110?) for 29 bucks each, so I got 3 for a little over 100 bucks with shipping. 3 AQs will be fine for both tanks (1 now, 3 later). Search Bigalsonline.com, thats where I found them.

I scored the Odyssea CSF4 on Ebay for less than 50 bucks including shipping. Most of them go for about 60 bucks on EBay. There are some reputable seller's that have them there. Canisters are more efficient than HOB's in that they are sealed and there is no bypass of the filter media. I use both HOB's and canisters. Canisters give you the ability to add other hardware inline rather than in the tank. You can get inline heaters and CO2 reactors and such. HOB's are inexpensive and dependable. It is easy to sea when the media needs rinsed or replaced. I have two old Whisper 3 HOB's that are still running after 15 yrs. Weigh the pro's and con's and decide what is best for you.

Tony - Sorry you've had such bad luck with Aquatraders. I can't say the same. Products I've ordered came on time and in perfect condition. I've even had them on the phone. I've noticed they've improved the website and product availability. Sometimes a little persistence and patience will make the difference. I found superfishstore.com to be more customer friendly.They are closer to you (Texas) and their prices are very competitive. They have a large inventory of parts and supplies. I purchased a Jebo and other supplies from them.

Tony - Sorry you've had such bad luck with Aquatraders. I can't say the same. Products I've ordered came on time and in perfect condition. I've even had them on the phone. I've noticed they've improved the website and product availability. Sometimes a little persistence and patience will make the difference. I found superfishstore.com to be more customer friendly.They are closer to you (Texas) and their prices are very competitive. They have a large inventory of parts and supplies. I purchased a Jebo and other supplies from them.

Thanks for the site, I will check them out right now. Its always nice to find a Jebo dealer, especially with lighting.

I have no idea why the one gentleman's hoses get clogged unless he's running a heavily planted tank. I've been dabbling in this hobby since the '70's, and have never had nor seen clogged hoses.

Eheim filters, at least the Classic line, are remarkable in their horrible design, difficult operation, and high pricing. I owned a couple different models many years back when they were relatively new. They were difficult to prime, difficult to keep running, and a huge mess to clean. However, their reputation is very good, both for quality and customer service. I will never be a sucker again for overpriced items, not only designer brand aquaria products, but clothing, cars, tools etc.

Fluval makes good filters that run efficiently and quietly. The design is sound, and even though it has some bypass, it's not the space shuttle. No filter is, nor should it be. Filters are designed to mimic nature. A babbling brook is nature's way of cleaning water, and a filter just concentrates all the media present in miles of babbling brooks. Fluvals are good filters at reasonable prices.

I've no personal experience with Rena filters, but there has been a lot of talk on several forums about leaks developing around the power cord entry port on the motorhead. It would seem most of the failures occur at around a year of service give or take a few months. From what I've read, there are enough occurences of this failure to be noteworthy. There are also a lot of complaints about noisy operation.

The Via Aqua filters seem to get a thumbs up across the board, albeit with a few minor complaints of water bypass.

The Jebao (NOTE: JEBAO is a completely different company from JEBO)filters are pretty highly regarded throughout Oceana and Asia as well as Europe. They're marketed under a plethora of brand names, and I believe Via Aqua is one. They're not too prominent here in the US.

The Jebo filters which include Odyssea, Newport, Lifetech and some other brands are supposed to be direct knockoffs of Eheim. This may or may not be true. Jebo is a conglomerate company made up of Chinese, Canadian and yes, German partners. Some of the Jebo Canister (most are not seen in the US) filter components have "made in Germany" on them. The CSF4 (828, 838) is a Chinese product of unknown origin of design. Some or all of the components may or may not be of Chinese manufacture. Possibly some German manufacture as well, but there are rumors that the design of the CSF4 is strictly German. The Jebo filter is not as quiet as the Fluval or some other Asian designed filters, but IT IS quiet nonetheless. It is a decibel or two above silent. The media baskest aren't as sturdy as their Eheim counterparts, but they don't need to be. They only need to hold the media, not hold up a building. The filter moves a lot of water. Some would like to argue over the actual amount of gph in comparison to this brand or that, but all the filters in this class move approximately the same amount of water, give or take a few gallons. The Jebo is efficient, quiet, cavernous, easy to setup and maintain. Parts are available through limited sources at the time of this writing, but I'm sure more parts dealers will spring up soon enough with the growing popularity. The filters don't leak, are easy to prime and do what they're supposed to. All this at a very inexpensive price. In fact, they're cheaper than many HOB filters, powerheads, and internals.

There are a lot of loyalists, particularly those who favor Eheim. Could it be they're justifying paying too much? The Jebo is "all that", and you can believe it or not. As someone who has experience with many brands, I've made up my mind not to succumb to brand name Euphoria. The Jebo offers the most bang for the buck. In fact, it offers triple or quadruple the bang for the buck.

I might add, I have no professional affiliation with any manufacturer, importer, designer or retailer. My opinion is my own.